The Perfect Career Isn't Easy to Find, but it's Worth the Search

Chances are you've attempted to answer the question at different points in your life. And if you're currently experiencing career angst, it's a question that needs your attention once again.

Whether you're preparing to enter the workforce, contemplating a major job move or considering a total career overhaul, finding the one position that meets all your personal and professional expectations is a challenging and potentially daunting endeavor. But with some honest self-assessment, a carefully mapped plan and ample career reference materials at your disposal, it's an entirely achievable goal.

Take a few minutes to assess yourself

This year, one of five people in the United States will change jobs, and a high percentage of this population will do so owing to a single factor: career dissatisfaction.

According to many career counselors and recruiters, true career satisfaction is most attainable when the work enables you to tap into your greatest strengths and natural talents. Surprisingly, many people struggle when it comes to identifying these specific strengths and talents, which makes it difficult to pinpoint the job or career that complements their strongest attributes.

It all starts with assessment - of self, career, and short- and long-term goals. Many career Web sites offer tests and surveys you can take in an attempt to assess your current career state, matching up your most prominent personality traits with corresponding careers. Most of these tests cost nothing, can be taken online and require only a few minutes of your time to complete. And although they won't necessarily provide any immediate career remedies, they can at least help you determine your personality type, your strengths and weaknesses, what motivates you, the most desirable work environment for you and many other pertinent tidbits of career advice.

Change careers or change jobs?

If you're seeking a new direction, you should first be able to establish the root causes for change. Does your unhappiness revolve around co-workers or your employer, professional burnout, a brutal commute, limited earnings potential or something else? According to an article published by Monster Career Coach Barbara Reinholder, people make significant career changes only to find out that the same problems resurface within a short time. The ones who make the right moves, she says, do so because they've taken the time to determine whether or not to change jobs or careers altogether.

For Jim Beatson, my 49-year-old brother and chef-in-training, it became increasingly apparent that a career change was the key to his long-term professional happiness. That's why he recently walked away from a stable, well-paying corporate sales position to attend culinary school in Philadelphia.

"I found as I got older that I not only enjoyed cooking food, I enjoyed serving it to guests as well," he said. "So a few years ago, I embarked on a three-step plan to turn my love of cooking into a career. First I made the difficult decision to simplify my life, and disposed of about 20 years' worth of junk and put my trophy house up for sale. Then I started scouting culinary schools."

His last was the hardest of all: simultaneously scaling down to a small apartment, quitting his full-time job and becoming a full-time culinary student. "It was scary at first," he said. "After all, you're leaving behind a lifestyle to which you've grown accustomed. But I soon got used to it."

So far, his three-pronged approach is working and Jim has no doubt that he made the right decision. For the first time in a long time, he's excited about his career and his future.

The path is charted, now make a move

Once you've explored all your options, identified personality type, made a checklist of inherent skills and talents and determined the best career for you, what's next?

If you're entering an unfamiliar job market, make sure that at the very least you have the proper educational credentials for your newly chosen profession. An article at www.hqeducation.com reports that nationally, employment will grow by 15 percent over the next several years, and most of these new opportunities will require education beyond high school (see Table 1). So it's important that you know well in advance whether your associate's degree will be enough, if an advanced degree is preferred, if any type of technical certification is required and so on.

If you're changing jobs or careers, it's probably most critical that you understand the prospective job market and where the jobs can be found. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, for example, the top fastest growing jobs are in the health care and technology sectors (see Table 2). Remember, do your homework and make sure you're not entering a field with flat or declining growth.

No matter what, experience counts

When it comes to changing careers, Terri Coyle of Glen Mills, Pa., has unique expertise. As a former manager of human resources and chief financial officer for a small advertising agency, she has interviewed all kinds of qualified and unqualified applicants through the years. What's more, she recently changed careers herself and is now selling real estate.

"What was obvious to me right away was the ability to parlay experience from one field to another," she said. "It boils down to finding the common elements or the similar personality requirements between two jobs and using them to your advantage. In my case, having an HR background where I learned about conflict resolution techniques and motivating people was very applicable in my new career. It doesn't hurt that I have an accounting degree, which lets people know that I'm comfortable on the financial side as well."

The onus is on you to get this relevant experience across to prospective employers. Take the time to write innovative and highly targeted resumes and cover letters. Then, if you're fortunate enough to get the interview, start accentuating all the positive work experiences and how they apply to the new position.

"In the real estate world, I'm witnessing career shifts firsthand. During my training class I sat between a nurse and an airline pilot," she said. "There were former teachers, salespeople, guidance counselors, stay-at-home moms and beauty shop owners. The common thread is that they were all highly motivated, for various reasons, to seek new careers."

The other commonality is that they're regular people just like you - people figuring out what they want to be when they grow up.

To learn more about exploring your career options, visit SF Gate's career section at www.sfgate.com/jobs. There are also countless books available on the subject, such as "I Don't Know What I Want But I Know It's Not This: A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work," by Julie Jansen; "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success," by Nicholas Lore; and "Do What You Are - Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type" by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger.